Elephant Joe, Brave Knight! (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Elephant Joe, Brave Knight! Jeannette Hulick Wojtowycz, David . Elephant Joe, Brave Knight!; written and illus. by David Wojtowycz. Random House, 2012. 32p. ISBN 978-0-307-93087-3 $16.99 R 4-7 yrs. Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete are hanging out on their floaties in the castle moat when they discover that the Dark Knight has stolen the king's crown. After quickly rounding up some armor and horses, the heroic pair heads out to the Dark Knight's tower, where they find an alligator damsel in distress—and a dragon, who's lurking around the back. After asking the dragon nicely, the duo finally gains access to the tower only to discover that the damsel isn't really in distress; she's the Dark Knight in disguise, and she races off with the crown to take the king's castle. With the help of the dragon, Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete thwart her plans, and the grateful king knights Joe and Pete, punishes the Dark Knight by making her kiss a frog ("Oh, yuck!" says the Dark Knight) who has been making asides on almost every page, and serves up a feast for the victors. This is a merry faux-medieval romp, and Joe and Pete are likable heroes. Wojtowycz's plotting and dialogue are engagingly reminiscent of children's own dramatic play situations ("Dark Knight, you have been very bad. How shall we punish you?" "Make her kiss that frog"), and the story may inspire similar imaginative play on the playground. The vibrantly colored art (digitally created collage) uses multiple patterns and textures (the armor, for example, looks like creased aluminum foil) for visual interest, and chubby Elephant Joe and stripy Pete (who looks a bit like an odd bunny wearing a pink snout) are [End Page 54] humorously straight-faced as they interact with the king, dragon, and villainess. Share this with fans of the imaginative-play-themed The Backyardigans, or pair it with Goodnight, Good Knight (BCCB 2/00) for a chivalrous storytime program. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois